Celebrating rural health week — meet Tanya Glafenhein, Rural CPD Education Manager

Meet: Tanya Glafenhein

Title: Education Manager  

Portfolio: Rural

Describe what you do and what programs you work on:

As one of the UBC Rural CPD Education Managers, I manage the UBC Rural CPD Coaching and Mentoring Program (CAMP).

Through our program, CAMP aims to support rural British Columbia (BC) physicians to improve their practice, increase their confidence and connect with colleagues. We coordinate peer-to-peer connections, virtual coaching and mentoring opportunities, facilitate shadowing at higher-volume centres and more. My efforts as an Education Manager focus on building and maintaining partnerships to support these wonderful engagements.

Which partners do you work with most closely?

CAMP collaborates with several key partners to support rural and remote healthcare professionals across British Columbia (BC). We are funded by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, a joint committee of the Doctors of BC and BC Ministry of Health.

Our core partnership is with the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) — we also work in close collaboration with the Rural Obstetrical and Maternity Sustainability Program (ROAM) to offer coaching and mentoring to 32 rural and remote maternity and surgical communities.

CAMP engages with the Practice Improvement Hub’s Coaching and Mentoring Subgroup, contributing to province-wide conversations and strategies regarding coaching and mentoring across BC.

Additionally, the program connects health professionals with high-volume and regional centres for mentoring opportunities, offering assistance in privileging applications with multiple BC Health Authorities.

Who does your work impact?

CAMP currently works with rural BC Family Physicians, Specialists and Locums. In partnership with ROAM, we provide support to rural maternity, obstetrical and surgical teams (physicians, midwives and nurses) in various rural and remote communities, including Comox, Smithers and Salt Spring Island.

In what ways does this work impact the health community, health-care system, or well-being of the target audience?

Rural physicians often face unique challenges of scarce resources, professional isolation and demanding workloads.

Our program offers a solution to this by integrating coaching and mentoring as strategies to enhance clinical skills, build resiliency and foster relationships among colleagues.

Our hope is that, through coaching and mentoring, we can have a positive impact on retention and overall well-being of health professionals, which may ultimately improve health-care quality in rural, remote and Indigenous communities across BC.

What do you think are the new opportunities (trends) affecting your work?

Being part of this program for three years now, I have seen a huge positive shift in support for coaching and mentoring, which has been incredibly heartwarming!  

CAMP has seen an increase in physicians requesting support in transitions in practice, personal wellness and leadership skills, and an ongoing trend in longitudinal Emergency Medicine, Airway Management and Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) mentorship opportunities.

We hope to continue fostering this trust among BC health-care networks and ensure health professionals are supported personally and professionally throughout their careers.